Wicked and Forbidden
by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns
Summary: Fred's preferences matched the newest woman in the village. He had to have her. Extended from Hermione's Library prompt on Hermione's Haven!


Note: Muggle/Villager!AU, Creature!AU/Kitsune!Hermione

An extended version of Hermione's Library prompt!

* * *

_The price paid for the child you bore,_

_a curse to remain forevermore._

He knew there was something about her the moment he laid eyes on the brunette.

"Georgie, who's that?" Fred asked. He knew he was staring harder than he intended, but the redhead didn't care as he watched the curly-haired brunette weave through the village market. Her shoulders were squared as though she had a confident stature, but Fred noted in the distance that she was looking around cautiously.

'_What are you hiding, beautiful?'_ he thought.

A snort broke him out of his reverie. Fred snapped his head towards his twin with his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Doesn't matter who she is," George stated. "You don't stand a chance, Freddy."

Fred knew that was a lie; _he _was the handsome twin. He stood in front of the product booth he owned and shared with his brother, his eyes never leaving the woman's form. That's when he noticed her shadow from the setting sun. It was a shadow shaped like a fox.

* * *

_The sun will set and her flame will rise,_

_a monster her village will despise._

Fred was a curious man. Being a curious man in a small village like the Burrow, Fred always got the answers he sought. He found out the woman's name was Hermione. According to the townsfolk, she came here because of the death of her parents. No one knew how they died, but there were whispers that their deaths were because of a fire. That information was no good to Fred if there was no credibility.

He acquired more facts about Hermione from the townspeople as well as his own observations. She was an only child–a fact that tugged painfully at the redhead's funny bone since her parents were gone too–liked those story journals, and she was _never _seen around the village after sunset.

Fred had an inkling as to why that was; his mum told him stories about the witch creatures. He was barking mad for thinking it, but he'd thought of and invented things crazier than this. He prayed that one day he'd get the opportunity to approach her and proved his theory correct. Anytime anyone tried, though, she dodged them like the plague. Rumors from the other villagers would surface soon enough, so Fred had to take his chance as soon as possible.

As soon as the opportunity presented itself one night, Fred snuck towards the waterfall in the woods behind the village; this was also his moment of solitude without his twin. Fred didn't have too many chances like this, and he took advantage of it. He was sitting on one of the flatter rocks and watching the water pour rapidly into a waterhole below. It was glistening from the moonlight shining above, yet something else glimmered and caught his eye.

Tiny flames twirled in the distance. They were like the tips of the candles without the candlestick. Fred leaned forward to get a closer look. The flames were the tips of five tails. Five. The long, slender tails were chocolate brown and lined in cream fur. The woman with these tails was the true beauty.

"Hermione," he breathed out.

Her curls were thicker with fox ears–_real fox ears_–perched on top of her head. Her cheekbones were higher; her brown eyes were brighter with a golden circle looped in the middle.

She stopped in her tracks. She parted her lips as if she released a breath. Fred decided to wave, which his inner self was not a fan of and kicked him for. '_Stupid, stupid!_' he thought.

"You're not supposed to be here," she hissed. She dashed away in a split second.

He dropped his hand and stared at the spot Hermione used to be. He couldn't believe the curse was _real_. A forbidden, wicked creat–no, beautiful woman–that Fred saw _first_. He had to tell George—as that was their twin policy—but he would only tell George. No one else could know as the villagers weren't too keen about witches and curses.

* * *

_The right embrace is her northern star,_

_a seed of hope to plant and grow far. _

He found her at the waterfall with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her tails swayed harmoniously behind her; their flaming tips lit the area around his foxy lady–that's what he called her since he saw that foxy side. Only the sounds of the night and rushing water filled his ears when he took a step towards her.

He figured out the nights she wandered the nights freely; it wasn't long before he used his Freddy charm to have her by his side. Yet she still kept him farther than arm's length; this night would change that.

"You shouldn't be here, Fred," she said without facing him. He needed her too, though. He had something to show her.

"Give me a sound reason why I shouldn't be," he challenged.

She spun around quickly. He could see the golden loop in her eyes growing with irritation. He should be scared, but he felt more accomplished by riling the fox.

"I can give you _plenty _of reason to–" Her fiery eyes simmered down. "What...what is that on your head."

Fred scratched his head. Rather, he scratched the fuzzy thing resting on his head. It was covered in fur, piled on the top of his head in two spaced out cone shapes. The thing was secured by a leather strap he looped around his chin.

"Mum wouldn't understand if I asked her, and George wanted to see who could make one faster," Fred explained. "I won, obviously, and I wanted you to see it."

He knew it looked ridiculous; George's looked worse, so that made him feel better.

"Are they meant to be _ears_?"

Maybe not.

"The best man-made ears the Burrow has to offer," Fred declared with a grin. "I've yet to start on the tails but…" He trailed off with a grin and watched for her reaction.

Hermione blinked twice; her mouth was opened slightly. Her tails continued to swish behind her; her ears twitched as she tilted her head. Hermione then covered her mouth, closed her eyes, and released a howl of laughter.

"Oh...Fred...you didn't...didn't have to…" Hermione couldn't make a complete sentence through her fit. He thought it was adorable to see. He wouldn't use that word around Hermione lest he wanted to have his eyes scratched out.

He strode towards her as she settled down. She had a hand on her chest and looked up at him.

"I wanted to," he said. "I don't care what the villagers think. Wicked and forbidden are my preferences." Fred took her other hand and squeezed it with a cheeky grin.

One of her tails whipped Fred's shoulder as she gave him a warning look. She didn't pull away, though; that was a good sign.

"I'm no good to you, Fred." Hermione shook her head. "Not with this curse."

Fred squeezed her hand again. "That's where you're wrong, foxy lady. That makes you everything I need."

He daringly rugged at Hermione's hand and pressed their bodies together in a warm embrace. He heard her breath hitch as her palm made contact with his chest, and Fred saw her tails glow behind her as he hugged the kitsune, woman, goddess, or whatever else he could identify her as.

Again, she didn't pull away, so Fred held her closer. Bugger all to those who would think of her as wicked and forbidden; he _loved _it and wanted her to know it.

* * *

A/N: Written for HSWW (Challenges and Assignments)

Assignment #4 Muggle Art Task 5: Write about someone/something unconventional.

Word Count: 1,255


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